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PurposeDriven by social comparison and self-congruity theories, this paper's aim was to investigate the associations with Korean millennials' usage of social media, self-image congruity and conspicuous online consumption. The mediating influence of self-image congruity and the moderating effect of self-esteem were also examined.Design/methodology/approachThese data were gathered through an online research portal from 302 Korean millennials. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses and moderated mediation analysis using Hayes PROCESS macro were applied to test proposed hypotheses.FindingsThe result of the structural equation analyses showed strong, positive associations between social media usage, self-image congruity and conspicuous online consumption, while self-image congruity also acted as a mediator between Korean millennials' usage of social media and conspicuous online consumption. Moreover, in moderated mediation analysis, the pathway between self-image congruity and conspicuous online consumption was stronger for millennials with higher self-esteem.Originality/valueMillennials' social media usage and conspicuous consumption are widely acknowledged in consumer research. However, little is known about how millennials' social media usage could influence their conspicuous online consumption through mediating and moderating mechanisms such as self-image congruity and self-esteem. This research extends previous studies by analyzing these mechanisms.

The millennials are an important cohort in luxury market, because of their purchasing power and the power of social media interaction. However, little is known about factors underlying their attitudes toward luxury fashion brands and online purchase intentions. This study explores whether materialism, a need for uniqueness, susceptibility to informative influence, and social media usage affect millennials’ attitudes toward luxury fashion brands and online purchase intentions. In addition, this research examines cross-cultural differences between Russian and Korean millennials based on four cultural dimensions of Hofstede’s model. The results indicated that all factors significantly related to attitudes towards luxury brands, and this, in turn, positively effect on online purchase intentions. Moreover, the results indicated that millennials from Korea and Russia pursue a need for uniqueness, some differences were revealed regarding materialism, susceptibility to informative influence and social media usage. Theoretical and practical implications are further discussed.

The millennials are a crucial generational cohort of customers who buy luxury goods online. Asian luxury consumers became the major driver of global luxury sales growth. While there are a number of papers from developing countries in Asia, this study explores millennials' attitudes toward shopping online for luxury goods from among the most world's leading economy of South Korea. This paper has used Q methodology to examine and categorize millennials' behavior toward online luxury consumption. The QUANAL program was employed for data collection and results revealed that there is a significant behavioral distinction between three types of shoppers such as Online Convenience Shopper, Online Economic Shopper and Traditional Shopper.The findings of this study have a managerial contribution by understanding the typology of online luxury goods consumers among Korean millennials. As one of the sizable cohorts who are purchasing luxury online, this paper could help managers to maintain and increase sales growth among millennials online. This study has also a theoretical or academic contribution by creating a new consumer type and broadening the knowledge about online luxury buying behavior.

This paper explores whether consumers’ perceptions of environmental, social and governance initiatives can impact on attitude, and how three brand-related constructs—brand credibility, brand image and perceived quality—mediate this relationship. An online survey was conducted with 458 South Korean consumers, and the data were investigated through a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The empirical results indicated direct positive effects of social and governance dimensions of perceived ESG on brand credibility, brand image, and perceived quality. However, no direct impact of the environmental dimension of perceived ESG on brand-related constructs was identified. Further, the results confirmed that brand credibility, brand image and perceived quality partially mediate the relationship between perceived ESG and attitude. Based on the findings, this paper suggests implications and future research directions.